Senator Morrison Commends Work of ICAJ

Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance and Planning, Senator Deika Morrison, has commended the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica (ICAJ), for the high level of professionalism and integrity displayed by its members in advancing the profession over the years.
“Today we look with pride at ICAJ’s contribution to the accountancy profession over four decades. We look at how the ICAJ has worked, amidst enormous challenges to build a strong, respectable organization and to transform the face of accountancy in Jamaica,” Senator Morrison said.
She was addressing the 40th anniversary luncheon of the Institute, at the refurbished Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort in Montego Bay recently.
The State Minister further lauded the ICAJ for the work it had done in honing indigenous expertise in a profession that was previously dominated by expatriate skills.
She observed that the organization boasted a membership of 831, most of who were from Jamaica, and continued to open windows of opportunity to its student population of 5,000, thus keeping the prospect of becoming a qualified accountant real to Jamaicans of all socio-economic and financial backgrounds.
“Over these 40 years, the ICAJ has succeeded in giving the accountancy profession a high level of prominence, making it one of the most respected professions in Jamaica. Notwithstanding the developments in the financial sector in the 90’s when the profession came under great scrutiny, the ICAJ has served to sustain the integrity and image of the profession,” Senator Morrison stated.
She stressed that the ICAJ had always been responsive to the need for change and in so doing, had managed to remain relevant and current in today’s fast-changing world.
Senator Morrison challenged the Institute to be proactive in preparing its members to respond adequately to the challenges and opportunities the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) would bring to Jamaica.
“A critical part of what the CSME envisages is a seamless integration that will allow professional skills in the region to be deployed across borders.
We have already seen how some manufacturing firms have created synergies that have facilitated easier trading among Caribbean member states. The potential for the services sector is enormous,” she pointed out.
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica (ICAJ) was established in 1965 and was formally incorporated under the Public Accountancy Act of 1968 as a regulatory entity to “regulate the practice of accountancy and the use of accountancy designations”.